It has been a very productive Sunday, considering it is supposed to be the day of rest. We had a great sermon at church! My pastor even referred to one of my go-to Bible verses (Proverbs 3:5-6) that I used in my post yesterday. God is working…in me and through others to get to my heart. He is good! We went to Costco (I always want to spell it CostCo, but Husband “informed” me today that I was incorrect.) after church for a few (hundred) things and taste tests. I feel so terrible for the Taste Test Administrators. Is that what they’re called? I’d be so stressed. It’s like a bum rush of people and in the snap of a finger, all your hard work is gone! And then there’s more people! Anywho. In case you are wondering…and even if you are not, my favorite taste test of the day was Philippine Brand Dried Young Coconut Snacks. It’s like my new favorite taste test of life. It was SO good. You sort of have to try them if you like coconut. Mmm. I feel as though I could eat them by the truck load. Anywho again. So remember how I told you I can’t seem to leave there without a pallet of even one item? Well. I am now the proud(ish) owner of a 5 pound bag of organic baby carrots. Yikes. I’m going to use every single carrot in that (giant) bag. Tonight, I made a delicious side dish of carrots that would beautifully accompany a Thanksgiving meal. And my whole family enjoyed it. My older son, Bigs, enjoyed it the most. He gets a kick out of eating bunny food. I found the recipe on Pinterest, but changed it around a bit (ooooh, two recipe re-writes in one week!).

I boiled the carrots until soft. I mashed them in my food processor. I mixed the remaining ingredients with the carrots and poured into a buttered glass pie pan. I cooked it in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 50ish minutes. SO easy!

I served it with a whole chicken that I roasted and corn off the cob.

More carrots. I regret nothing. 😀

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed that casserole. I even think I could eat it cold. Standing in front of the fridge. While my children play in the living room. Yum.

I also made fruit snacks! This is a recipe I use often. I doubled the recipe today. I send them with Bigs to school for a snack. They can stay at room temperature for a while. Smalls is only just starting to have a taste for gummy things. What little kid doesn’t like gummies? So weird. It was rough for a while because I’d have to melt his daily gummy vitamin in his breakfast oatmeal for him to take it. But now he likes(ish) gummies. So he can enjoy these now too.

This recipe is great because you can take your own liberties with it (what fruits, etc.).

Homemade Fruit Snacks:

http://thankyourbody.com/homemade-healthy-fruit-snacks/

Ingredients:

2/3 C frozen or fresh fruit

2/3 C orange juice or a mix of orange and lemon juices

1-2 T honey

5 packets of unflavored gelatin (I’ve used 4 and it works but they come out less ‘hard’ and I’ve used 6…I do what I want.)

Bring the fruit and juice to a simmer over medium heat, just enough to make the fruit soft. Place in a food processor. Pour back into pot and whisk in honey. Let sit off of heat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, whisk in the gelatin packets. Pour into an 8×8 pan and let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Cut into cubes!

I hope you all had as lovely a Sunday as me. Today, I am thankful for carrots, for without them, this four-eyed Mama would surely be needing Coke bottles for glasses. 😉 And I’m truly thankful for renewal in my heart. And for the cooler weather we’ve been experiencing. That makes me feel festively happy.